6-3 Attendance records

Introduction

Early childhood services must keep attendance records for all children who attend the service.

Attendance records must be kept for seven years.
 

Records

Attendance records serve a number of purposes for funding. They:

• support claims for funded child hours (FCHs)
• support claims for quality funding rates (for parent/whānau led services) that require enhanced staff:child ratios
• help keep track of absences so that the absence rules can be applied and
• help keep track of hours of attendance that can be claimed for children attending casually.

Attendance records also ensure that licence maximums are not exceeded.
 

Incorrect records

Services must not state that a child has attended an early childhood service when they did not attend for any reason.

In the event of a funding claim audit, funding claimed incorrectly will be recovered by the Ministry. 
 

Changes to records

Changes to attendance records must not be ‘whited out’. Changes should be made by crossing out the incorrect entry and rewriting.

Services that keep only electronic records must use a software package or other electronic means of recording attendance that has provision for noting and referencing any changes in a manner that is transparent for staff, parents and the Ministry.
 

Records must include

Attendance records may be kept in a form to suit the service. However, all services must include all of the following:

• separate sections or columns for children aged under two and for children aged two and over.
• the first and last name of each child, clearly identified.
• days and times of actual attendance for each child.
• a record of any absence, with an ‘a’ when a child does not attend at a time for which they are enrolled.
• notes and explanations about attendance, such as when a child is away sick or has attended for more/less hours than they were enrolled and
• attendance registers that have been marked by staff on a twice daily basis (or once a day for services that operate only one session).

Services must also keep evidence (e.g. a signed attendance register) that a parent/guardian of each child has regularly examined and confirmed the attendance record.
 
This needs to be completed:

Tip

Daily sign-in/sign-out records are a good way of recording the dates and times of attendance.

They are useful for:

• recording days and times of actual attendance for each child (as described above)
• keeping track of attendances by children who attend on a casual basis
• keeping track of variations in attendance that might indicate a Frequent Absence (see Secion 6-7).

A template for sign-in/sign-out records is included in Appendix 2.

Daily sign-in/sign-out records that have been signed by each child’s parent/guardian may be used to meet the attendance record requirement for “evidence that a parent/guardian of each child has regularly examined and confirmed the attendance record” for all service types.